Today we’d like to introduce you to LaToya Blakely.
LaToya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m an attorney, actress, and on-camera host. I’ve been practicing law since 2012. I first became interested in acting during my junior year of high school when I took a drama class, but I didn’t pursue acting until I moved to Dallas in the spring of 2012. I took classes off and on for two-three years and learned as much as I could about acting in Dallas. In the fall of 2015, at the insistence of a close friend, I auditioned for a Nativity play. I was cast in the play, and I haven’t looked back since. I signed with an agent in January 2016, and I’ve spent the last three years taking classes, auditioning and working on print jobs, commercials, and independent film projects. I still practice law. I have my own practice. I also have a blog, “The Saintly Sinner.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Lol. A smooth road. That’s really funny. Honestly, it hasn’t been a bad road. It’s just that I’ve pursued an untraditional path. So many people have told me that I should just focus on being a lawyer, and most of the lawyers around me are focused on being lawyers. That’s great… for them, I just have other interests, and I’m pursuing those too.
My advice to other people/women is to follow their hearts. Listen to their guts and intuition. So many people will try to steer you off course. I don’t think it’ on purpose or done with bad intentions, they just don’t know. If you’re lucky, you’ll have one or two people that really get you and understand what you’re working towards, but most people just don’t get it. So, just stay true to you. Don’t get distracted by the noise or clutter. Stay focused and work hard!
What should we know about Blakely Law, PLLC? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Like I previously mentioned, I am an attorney, and I’ve been practicing since 2012. My practice areas are criminal defense, family law, probate, and more recently, entertainment law. What I love most about practicing law is my ability to help other people. Clients come to attorneys because they have a need, and that need is usually related to something that is really important to the client. I pride myself on providing my clients with professional and effective representation. My clients trust me to guide them through their situations, which are often difficult, stressful and scary.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
That’s an interesting question. There are definitely more opportunities today. Female empowerment, the #MeToo Movement and calls for equality have helped make positive strides. There are also challenges associated with being a woman, especially a woman in a professional, male-dominated field. We’re often questioned and second-guessed, and we have to work harder for the same opportunities.
I feel like gender and sexual equality have been hot topics in my life lately. Regardless of what kinds of opportunities are available to women, in my opinion, women are still generally viewed as inferior by the world. Women experience things that men don’t. Two stories come to my mind. The college student that was killed after getting into the wrong car thinking it was her Uber and the woman who was killed in Costa Rica the night/morning before her scheduled flight back to the United States. There’s a safety issue, and I think it arises out of some men’s attitude of entitlement to a woman and her body. I could go on about this, but it’s a little off topic. I’ll save these thoughts for another time.
Generally speaking, I think that women are well positioned for any opportunity that we want. We are smart, well educated, qualified, capable, intuitive and extremely hard workers. I think we’re capable of accomplishing any and everything that we want to accomplish.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3333 Lee Pkwy., Suite 600
Dallas, Texas 75219 - Phone: (972) 876-2081
- Instagram: latoya.blakely
Image Credit:
Jose Figueredo
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